Texture material is often applied to flat surfaces such as walls and ceilings. The texture material creates a bumpy, irregular surface that is aesthetically pleasing and which helps to hide seams and the like formed by adjacent wall or ceiling panels. Texture material is a coating material that is sprayed on in liquid form and which dries to form the bumpy, irregular surface described above.
A class of texture materials contains particulates and creates an acoustic or "popcorn" texture pattern that is normally applied to ceilings. The present invention is of particular importance in the context of acoustic texture materials, and that application will be discussed herein.
Acoustic texture materials form a rather thick coating having discrete particles embedded therein. These particles are usually small polystyrene chips, but can be small flakes of other materials such as cork, perlite, vermiculite, and/or rubber. These particles are sound absorptive and deaden the sounds within a room having the surface coated with acoustic texture material.
The particles are loosely adhered to the coated surface by the binding agent in the texture material. Because the particles in acoustic texture material are only loosely adhered to the surface, surfaces coated with this material cannot be effectively painted or cleaned because the mechanical action of brushing or wiping the surface removes the acoustic particles. Over time the surface coated with acoustic texture material can become dirty and discolored; and if walls adjacent to the coated surface are painted, the color of the ceiling may no longer match that of the walls, if it ever matched.
Further, styles and tastes change over time; a homeowner with ceilings coated with acoustic texture material may desire a different look such as smooth, standard texture material, wallpaper, and/or other surface treatment.
Accordingly, at some point the coat of acoustic texture material needs to be removed, resulting in a stripped surface. Once the old coat is removed, a new coating of acoustic texture material, different type of texture material, wall paper, or smooth surface may be may be applied the stripped surface.
The process of removing acoustic texture material basically comprises the steps of applying water or other solvents to the coating to be removed, scraping the moistened coating from the ceiling surface, and removing the waste material. This process is laborious, messy, and time consuming.
Specialized tools have been proposed for the removal of acoustic texture material from ceiling surfaces. These include a scraper coupled with a basket to collect waste material as it is being removed. Such tools have not gained significant acceptance in the marketplace.